Exemplary embodiments of the present invention provide a Biological Simulation Model and associated apparatus, method and computer-readable storage medium for evaluating a patient (“exemplary” as used herein referring to “serving as an example, instance or illustration”).
Exemplary embodiments of the present invention consider the organism as a whole, made of elements in permanent interaction and working together as a network. It quantifies the physiological relationships at organ and organism-level that drive the functioning of the body, and it helps identify the underlying dysfunctions linked with a disease and their evolution with or without treatment. It goes beyond the symptomatic approach of the disease and takes into account the state of the patient in its overall functioning, the so called “terrain” of the patient, which plays a key role in the ability of an individual to face a disease. For example, exemplary embodiments of the present invention facilitate an understanding of why an individual faced with a very cold weather will contract pneumonia, while similar cold weather had no effect on the individual a year earlier. Similarly, for example, exemplary embodiments of the present invention facilitate an understanding of why out of ten people faced with very cold weather under similar conditions, one will contract sinusitis, two will contract pneumonias, one will contract shingles, the rheumatoid arthritis of one will flare-up, while the other five will not contract anything.
The disease may be viewed not only as caused by a factor X, but may also and primarily be caused by one or more dysfunctions of the organism. In fact, the disease, as may be seen through the symptoms, may be considered the end of an internal process where the body has unsuccessfully attempted to contain the exposure. The symptom may be considered the signal that the body has failed in its attempt, and it will need to mobilize many more resources, unless it gets outside help. The Biological Simulation Model of exemplary embodiments of the present invention facilitates an understanding of what happened and identify the root causes that drove the failure of the organism.
Exemplary embodiments propose an explanation of the basic functioning of the organism, under control of the endocrine system, as the manager of the physiological phenomena that permits the life maintenance within the body, through a sequence of catabolic and anabolic metabolic activities.
Regulation of the internal environment requires a single and autonomous system manager that has the ability to interact permanently with all organs and body systems in order to direct and control all input/output transfers. This system manager also needs the ability to act for its own safeguard in order to remain efficient and manage the organism.
The endocrine system can fulfill the mission of managing the overall organism. The endocrine system is connected to all systems, and may act anywhere in the body and react to all kinds of solicitations: sensorial, metabolic or physiological. The endocrine system is able to reset the basal state (homeostasis) and to participate in its evolution; and it participates in growth, ensures cells nutrition and prioritizes the distribution of energetic resources. The endocrine system manages all factors involved in the defense system of the organism, and manages two fundamental attributes of the organism: short term and long term adaptation, which are hormone-dependent. It also has enough autonomy to correct its own deficiencies.
As an example, in the 1930s, Hans Selye described the role of the endocrine system in the body response to specific aggressions such as third-degree burns, spread-out infections, hemorrhages and the like, which were associated with identical reactions from the organism, which he referred to as the General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS).
Exemplary embodiments propose not only a global view on how the endocrine system organizes the body response to any kind of aggression (external or internal, physical, chemical, viral, emotional, etc.), but also how it manages the maintenance of the basic structure of the organism.